On Tuesday I had the chance to go into the big city of Ninh Binh (pronounced Ning Bing) with Thuc, Fr. Hien, and Dinh. I needed to get some money (dong) from the bank and wanted to buy some things from the bookstore. On the way there and back the scenery was breath taking. It is harvest time. There is a harvest every six months, and this one is a banner harvest. The rows that look green are yet to be cut.
This is back breaking work, so it may seem to be scenic and beautiful, but remember that working outside in 95 degree heat with 90% humidity while bending over is not very romantic. It is complete and utter work. But these are the poor in Vietnam, and it is always better to work than to starve.
When you look out from the road over the rice paddies, it's amazing how flat the land seems to be. This is an advantage for rice farming in that water can be brought many miles from the rivers to where it is needed without the use of pumps. Rain is plentiful in the south so there is less need for canals there, but in the north it is critical.
Dinh saw this man and his boy doing a delicate balance on the bridge which is only three thin planks wide. The driver waved to us after I took the picture. We didn't wait long enough to see if he made it.
As you can see below, the road is actually only 1 1/2 lanes wide, so the drivers are always jockeying for position with other cars, motorbikes, bicycles, pedestrians, and water buffalo. Never a dull moment on the road. To top it all off, the road between Phat Diem and Ninh Binh is being worked on and the potholes can be as big as hippos. Honest! Here we are trying to dodge the traffic. Don't worry, we don't end up in the rice paddy.
The best way to get the crops moved is either by truck, by hand, or by boat. Here is one of the rice boats. The amazing thing about rice boats is that they are made of concrete. Really, they're concrete so that they last a long time. With water everywhere, regular wood rots easily. Necessity is the mother of invention.
